WASHINGTON _ The Senate on Wednesday approved a measure championed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., that would outlaw bath salts, synthetic marijuana and other drug surrogates commonly sold in gas stations and convenience stores.

The law now goes to President Barack Obama’s desk for enactment. It imposes a permanent ban on 31 chemical formulas used to make bath salts, synthetic marijuana and synthetic hallucinogens.

If ingested, bath salts are believed to have side-effects similar to those of cocaine or methamphetamines. They have been linked to numerous incidents of bizarre and violent behavior, including that of a homeless man shot by police after he was found gnawing on the face of another homeless man last month in Miami.

The attacker, dubbed “the face-eating cannibal” was believed to have abused bath salts prior to the assault. This was just one in a number of incidents involving the salts.

Although the name “bath salts” suggests a substance for luxuriating in the bathtub, bath salts typically are smoked, injected, snorted or eaten.

“Let this be a warning to those who make a profit manufacturing and selling killer chemical components to our teens and children in the Capital Region: the jig is up,” said Schumer in a statement. “This bill closes loopholes that have allowed manufacturers to circumvent local and state bans and ensures that you cannot simply cross state lines to find these deadly bath salts.’’

“President Obama’s signature will ensure that the federal government can fight this scourge with a united front, across state lines and at our borders,’’ he said.

In 2010 poison control centers throughout the U.S. received 302 calls related to these chemicals, and more than 2,200 calls in the first five months of 2011, according to the Department of Health.